Call me Ishmael

So I decided to play wag today and sort out some errands. My Samsung Galaxy II mobile is on its last legs so part of the plan was to visit EE to purchase a handset and switch to a sim-only plan.

Upon arrival I was met with by the Assistant Manager who took details of my intention - I told him the handset I wanted to buy and the sim-plan - and he "booked me in" so that a colleague could help when they came free. So one of the highly skilled sales team joined me as I sat in a comfy seat and we introduced ourselves. I again said that I planned to purchase a handset and pointed to the model as it was on display across from where we were sitting.
"Oh" said my new friend, "Have you thought of a Samsung?"
I said that I hadn't and asked why I might wish to.
"Well it's a personal thing really and I prefer Samsung" was the reply. While I was grateful to know what phone she preferred I wasn't sure how it helped me much further forward so I asked what the technical differences were between the phone I'd suggested and a Samsung with a similar form-factor (I want a bigger screen as one of my main uses is as a satnav). 
"I'm not really sure what the technical differences are off the top of my head" was the response and, I must admit, that threw me slightly so I went to the obvious next step and asked what the price difference might be. I was told that the Samsung would be about £100 more expensive.
I really wasn't feeling it for the Samsung and pointed this out.
"Okay, I'll go and see what we have in stock" and away she went.
A few minutes later and she was back, empty handed.
"To be totally honest we don't have any of those in stock, we've never had them and you are the first person to ask for one. You'd be better off getting one across the road at Carphone or from the web and coming back so that we can do the sim"
So we'd had the whole pantomime in the hope that they could move me from the kit I'd done some homework on but - and this is the kicker - they didn't have a body who could coherently discuss the technology and explain why I should consider something different - stunning isn't it?

Anyways - while I was there Cal texted and I asked what he was up to. He was also in town doing stuff so I suggested we met for a drink which we did. And we agreed to go to Dungeness as he'd not seen the new café so that's what we did and I bought him a burger and we shared the chips and we had a chat and I tried to explain about Gregory Peck and the hunt for the white whale and why I was calling him cap'n Ahab